When looking for a job, whether one is applying for a posted position or prospecting for possible openings, one of the most important skills is the ability to understand the needs of the prospective employer. Most commonly this is done through careful research. Each company has its own distinct culture, as well as products, services, markets and clients. Understand the way these pieces all fit together for a business in need of help will allow one to position themselves in the most favorable light when applying or interviewing. There are many sources that can be used to find this information. Some of the most common are the company’s website, LinkedIn profiles of company managers and industry publications.
To see how we can find useful information that can be used to help our resume and cover letter appeal to the receiver, let’s look at an example. High Touch Technologies (www.hightouchtechnologies.com) is a local company that specializes in IT services and custom business application development. They often hire developers, and I have considered applying for positions there several times. To begin with, I looked through the company’s web page closely and gleaned several important pieces of information. The most important of these were details about what services the company provides and what technologies they use. I also searched the local Business Journal (www.bizjournals.com/wichita) for articles about the company. I found several that reported on the recent growth of the company through acquisitions. Another important piece of information about the company is something that I had already learned through personal experience. In 2016 I was lucky enough to be chosen as a finalist for the High Touch Scholarship. As part of the competition I was able to meet the executive board and found that they had a high amount of admiration for Wichita State, possibly because the company was founded by a WSU graduate. I believe that all three of these sources are trustworthy. The Wichita Business Journal in particular is an objective source and considering the type of information I gathered from the company’s own sources, I feel comfortable that it is correct.
Taking the information I learned from these sources, I looked at my own experience and skills and started to ask whether I would be able to provide value to this company. I believe that I can. The company needs employees who are familiar with technologies that I am familiar with. They need employees who are able to work in a team environment as well as working directly with clients. They also seem to be inclined to hire students from WSU. Just to make sure that my resume would appeal to the hiring manager, I decided to include the following keywords:
- Communication Skills
- Team Player
- Customer Focused
- Desire to Lead
- Desire to Learn
- Java
- SQL
- C#/.Net
In the end, I’ve found that a little bit of basic research can lead to a cover letter and resume that are more likely to appeal to the recipient. The reward is well worth the effort.
Professionally Speaking 